When I stay up late blogging – in other words, every night I’m not slinging drugs at the hospital — the last thing I want to do is wake up early the next day. But before the sun came up this morning (but after my early-bird spouse had already left for his 5 a.m. CrossFit class), Lil-O wandered into our bedroom and insisted that he and his two stuffed kitty-cats had to crawl into bed with me. It was sweet…though I hope he doesn’t make this a habit. I finally got up a few minutes before my women’s class was starting at CrossFit Palo Alto. I grabbed a handful of macadamia nuts before dashing out the door because I didn’t want to be late. Seriously: I will do anything to avoid the 20-burpee penalty for being tardy, including violating multiple traffic laws.  

As usual, I had a great time with the other gals in class as we practiced kettlebell cleans and presses and muddled through a medicine ball WOD. Okay, maybe I was the only one muddling, but wall balls are the bane of my existence, I tell you.

Back home, I wiped (most of) the sweat off my face before throwing together a few simple snacks for a meeting I was hosting. I washed cherries and grapes…

…cut up some vegetables…

…sliced some of my brother-in-law’s homemade cured and smoked meats…

…and made a quick guacamole.

I was gathering with Stephanie Lucianovic, Cheryl Sternman Rule, Noopur, and Jackie to discuss a fun little project that we’ve tentatively scheduled for this fall. As things firm up, I’ll keep you all posted about our plans.

I’ve mentioned Cheryl’s stunning cookbook Ripe before, but Stephanie also just released a fascinating and insightful book titled Suffering Succotash: A Picky Eater’s Quest to Understand Why We Hate the Foods We Hate. I can’t wait to read it so I can better understand Lil-O’s stubborn ways at the dinner table. It gives me hope that Stephanie went from being a picky eater to a culinary school grad and super-successful food writer.

I was famished after my class, so my lunch and post-workout meal consisted of multiple plates of nibbles that I ate during our meeting.

For the kiddos, I str-fried kale and bacon and browned some bison hotdogs.

When I finally got around to checking the mail this afternoon, I was thrilled to see a review copy of Diane Sanfilippo’s Practical Paleo waiting for me!

I’d stolen glances at this heavy tome at The CrossFit Games, and I was excited to have my own copy to pore over. It’s got a ton of great information packed into a gorgeously-designed, graphic- and photo-heavy reference book. It’s a thing of beauty!

Visual learners (like me!) will be in heaven. Plus, it’s got over 120 recipes and 11 different 30-Day Meal Plans for specific dietary needs ranging from cancer recovery to thyroid health.

For dinner tonight, Big-O insisted we make Bacon-Wrapped Smoky Chicken Thighs from Diane’s book. Needless to say, I didn’t need much convincing. I mean, how could I say no to bacon-wrapped anything?

The recipe was simple to throw together…

…and the pork-wrapped chicken roasting in the oven suffused our house with a smoky, mouth-watering aroma.

When the chicken was finished cooking, I plated the pieces…

…and tossed on some cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.

For an extra dose of veggies, I stir-fried baby kale with a few splashes of Red Boat Fish Sauce.

Here’s what dinner looked like for my kids…

…and for the adults.

Yep, they’re the same.

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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